Victernus - Chapter 20
The lights of New Selania dimmed
when a thick fog descended on the city. The streets no longer reflected the
grey buildings or the cavern ceiling. It seemed like they had been washed grey
with the fog; as if they had become part of it. The fog could still be seen
through, but it made everything blend together as if it were twilight. Namara
was unsure of how this could have happened so quickly, but he kept his eyes
level and his map right in front of him. He only had to travel a few hundred
more feet to reach the forum.
Namara sighed in relief when he saw
the lights in front of the entrance to the forum. Contrary to most of the city,
a stone archway showed him in. Behind it, he found that the fog had dissipated
and that there were adults convened together at a couple of marble tables. They
were turned away Namara, watching a man in a grey and black uniform present
plans for some kind of neural device.
Not wanting to interrupt, Namara sat
down at the closest table and listened. The man was going on about some kind of
implant that would allow for telepathy. His approach sounded wrong based on
what Namara knew. He couldn't help but chuckle. It's been a hundred and sixty years and they're still trying to achieve
telepathy? Perhaps that stone arch was built to imply that they're still going
to be living in the Stone Age for a while...
Namara stood up and walked across
the short grass towards the group. He smiled to himself and then sat on the
table right behind them. He put his elbows on it, resting his face in his
hands. The man seemed to notice - he stuttered in his speech. Namara could
sense the sweat building under his arms. His fear gave Namara a sense of
pleasure for some reason. The adults looked at each other, unsure of why he was
nervous all of a sudden. And then, he lifted his arm and pointed at Namara,
exclaiming, "What is that?!"
They turned to see and then had
similar reactions - some became instantly fearful, and others seemed curious.
Four of them stood up from their seats and approached him carefully, not
wanting to provoke the animal among them. One guy came close and held out his
hand, as if he wasn't sure if what he was seeing was real. In response, Namara
growled and then snapped his mouth at the hand, as if to bite it off. When the
man jumped back in fear, Namara continued to growl before pausing and breaking
out in a fit of laughter. He banged his hand against the table and said, "You
guys are so funny..."
The scientist in the grey uniform
came close and sat down in front of Namara, asking, "Who are you? And... what are
you?"
Namara splayed his arms out on the
table, looking down at them. He smiled and answered, "I am what my people once
called... a 'werewolf.' My name is Namara."
He gasped and his companions spoke
amongst themselves frantically. One of them whispered, as if he could block
Namara from hearing, "The first Great Demonstrator warned New Selania of the
'Namara.' He spoke of a terrifying creature that existed on the surface long ago.
He said that if it were ever to return, it would destroy us all!"
Namara stood up from the table and
displayed himself. He asked gently, "Do I look terrifying to you?"
The one who sat down in front of him
responded, "Not particularly. Why have you come to us?"
Namara sighed. He spoke plainly,
"Years ago, your first 'great demonstrator' and I - if I am correct about who
it is - were rivals. I don't know all of his motives, but I do know that he was
an evil man. He hated me and my beliefs, and he wanted to destroy me. The only
person I'd ever come close to destroying is him, although I don't think he
exists anymore - only remnants. However, I would not do so without giving both
him and you a chance to turn around."
"Turn around from what?"
Before Namara could respond, he
heard a voice from behind him say, "From knowledge! From science! He wants you
to become animals, just like him. He wants you to throw away everything you've
worked towards in this life. He hates you."
Whispers shot through the group and
then they all bowed down towards him suddenly. He clenched his fist and
growled, "Why are you still alive?"
"Oh, I have my own reasons. We all
want something, don't we?"
Namara turned to see Lynn, unaged
and annoying as usual. He was dressed in a red and black uniform and wore the
same, evil smile he had worn over a century before. Disgusted, Namara spat, "I
heard about what you did to my friends. You don't deserve to live any longer."
He pointed back at the scientists with his implants and growled, "Give me one
good reason why I should let you mislead them even further!"
Unafraid, Lynn laughed boldly before him, "I
am not misleading them - you are the only one who wants to. You see, here we
advance science and apply it to the greater good. There are no questions asked,
and everyone wins. Through me, their lives are made easier - isn't that what
you want too?"
His ears twitched in fury as he snarled,
"That's disgusting! Life is not about finding new ways to be lazy. Life is about
going out, making mistakes, and learning from them. It's about becoming the
best person you can be, and making sure that you don't hurt someone else while doing that. These people are not living. You've taken away their freedom,
sectioned off their lives, destroyed their past and then lied to them about almost
everything... They don't know anything of the world before! They don't
understand art. They don't know music. They don't know what it feels like to
fear for their lives or even what it feels like to breathe in the air during a
thunderstorm. All they know are tests, statistics, and that they have to wake
up at five in the morning and go to sleep before eight at night - but then that
reminds me that you don't even have days here!" Namara took a step forward and
promised, "I will..." Something caused him to pause briefly - he felt a little
foggy all of a sudden. He grunted before continuing, "...do whatever I have to in
order to free them from that."
Lynn sighed and took a couple steps
closer, "No... No, you won't."
Namara began to growl, but he tilted
his head as if he didn't understand. He spoke as if he could not hear his own
voice, "...what?"
Lynn giggled and then came even
closer, "Oh wow, I didn't even think it would work! I am going to have so much
fun with this..."
Grunting again, Namara tried to
formulate a response in his mind, but the words could not join together. He
stood there, unsure of what was happening or who was approaching him.
Dr. Lynn took the reins and
commanded, "Kneel, boy!" He chuckled, "You're barely even an adult, isn't that
right?"
Namara slowly fell to his knees, letting
out a high-pitched whine. In response, Lynn ruffled the fur on his head and
tugged at his cheeks, speaking in a high voice, "Is the wolf pup scared?"
He stared down at the ground in
bewilderment.
Lynn resumed his normal voice and spoke
in a serious tone, "Tranq' him."
From
behind, Namara heard someone fumbling with some kind of machine. When he turned
to look, he felt a dart penetrate his neck. Before he could lift his hand to
pull it out, he blacked out.